Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Goodbye Old, Hello New

It's that time of year again. A time to watch the ball drop, to be with family and friends, to start anew. This past year has been rather hectic for me. I went on my honeymoon, graduated from law school and preparing for the Bar Exam. I served as Junior Warden through Table Lodges and my first Grand Lodge communication. I memorized the long MC lecture for the second degree. In all, I have had a good year for me.

The past year has also seen many firsts that I thought I would not see for a long time, a Democratic primary with two strong contenders that were not older white men, first a woman vice presidential candidate and the election of the first African-American president in this country's history, former Senator (and soon to be President) Barack Obama.

We have seen economic booms and busts, where huge financial companies like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns failed. We saw the last feudal state dismantled. We saw one of the greatest performances in history as Michael Phelps earned eight gold medals at the Beijing Games and surpassed what was thought to be the impossible record set by Mark Spitz.

We saw Heath Ledger, one of the great actors of our age, pass away at an incredibly young age while one of the greatest actors, Paul Newman, passed on without much fanfare.

In the state of Minnesota, we still don't have a senator. We saw a new bridge rise from the tragedy that was the I-35W Bridge collapse.

The following year promises to be just as crazy and unpredictable, especially for me. I will be serving as the Senior Warden of Corinthian Lodge while I work on my Bar prep. I will be looking for a job in the current market and although it is bleak, I think that I might get lucky in the job hunt. I am incredibly excited for what the new year will bring and I wish all of you and yours the very best.